The Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is the elegant, long-tailed wagtail found in Sweden wherever water rushes over stones — a bird of streams, mill falls and small waterfalls. It measures 17–20 cm long, with a wingspan of around 25–27 cm and a weight of just 15–22 grams, and is recognised by an exceptionally long black-and-white tail, longer than any other Swedish wagtail. Blue-grey upperparts, a yellow-green rump and a lemon-yellow underside — most intense beneath the tail — complete the picture; breeding males also show a black chin and throat that females lack. The combination of blue-grey back, very long tail and lemon underside at fast-flowing water is diagnostic against the shorter-tailed, olive-backed Yellow Wagtail.
Its call is a sharp, short, metallic "tsi-tsi" or "tziff", lighter and crisper than the Pied Wagtail's rolling call, often given as the bird lifts off or flies in arcs along a watercourse. Grey Wagtails nest close to running water, tucking the nest into a sheltered niche such as a crack in a stone wall or under a bridge; the female lays 4–6 eggs, incubated for about two weeks, and pairs in southern Sweden often raise two broods a season. The species feeds largely on aquatic insects and their larvae — stoneflies, mayflies and caddisflies — caught by running over wet stones or making short sallies after flying insects. Having established itself as a Swedish breeding bird during the twentieth century, it has since expanded strongly, including northward, likely aided by a warmer climate and cleaner watercourses, and now numbers 5,000–15,000 pairs.
Read about this species in Swedish →